De Bellum
by Roisin O'Shaughnessy
Summary: AU. Japan is in a war and Inuyasha is the illegitimate son of a lord who, upon his father's death, receives the territory. But with a envious and wrathful half-brother, attacks from the enemy clan, and his heart split between two, can he survive?
1. Chapter 1

Chapter I. The bay at night and what had transpired there

The scarlet sun creeps down the horizon, seemingly sinking into the abyssal depth of that purple mass of the water, the sea, silhouetting the rocks and trees of the islands afar, the darkness of night engulf the skies as the sun sunk deeper and deeper, until, alas, the last flicker of twilight was extinguished. It was no wonder that the ancients thought that the sun died daily, only to reborn the next day, to rise into the sky once more to conquer darkness, only to be conquered by that same blackness again as the day ends. The bells, hanging upon the noble and aged oak tree, began, at the urging of playful and gentle Zephyrus, to chime, to sing a sweet, yet melancholy song, as if they were mourning the passing of the warmth sun, and despairing over the beginning of cold, dark, night.

In front of that mighty oak, a throng of bearded, pale faced men in sad coloured silk garment assembled, standing silently and rigidly, so much so that, if it were not for the rising of the chest, one might have assumed that these were corpses, held upright by a pikes. From afar, a small figure was made out, a boat, coming closer and closer. Breaking free from whatever trances that had possessed them; the men began to fall upon their knees, their heads bowed low, when, suddenly, a bright red light shot though from the forest on the cliff, striking the ocean, followed by another, and by hundreds more. To the spectators, it looked like a shower of fire, raining down upon the sea, only ceasing when the little boat caught on fire. Amidst the cries and groans of fear and disbelief, the sounds leaves rustling as these ancient men flee, the ship slowly sailed away, and steering its course away from the shore and into the wide expanses of the sea, sailing about until it reaches hell and the souls aboard shall begin life anew.

The wind blew upon the trees, shaking again the bells, and sounding it once more. On the horizon, the flames of the ship again twinkle, and twinkle no more. On the shore, corpses of several of the aged men stands, their garment dyed to that fearful and hideous shade of crimson that characterise blood, their faces were, for the most part, impassive, but carries, deep within their features, those slight indications of the mortal terror and pain that came before their death, and held onto place by large pikes, piercing their flesh, condemned to forever wait for the ship's return.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2- Revelations in the Palace

A lone figure sat silent upon his futon, his room dimly lit by a single candle, his long, narrow, eyes staring intently upon a wall scroll. The door was open, the figure stumbled back, his eyes pained from the intensity of the brightness. Entering the room was a old gentleman of short statue, dressed in a brownish-yellow silk garb, large eyes, seemingly bulging from his skull, and he hastily closed the door, restoring the darkness. Recovering from the shock of the light, he quickly stood up, revelling his tall, regal features, his pale complexion, and his long, black hair. He was the sort of a man whose mere presence commanded great respect and fear, a man who would make even the most frightful and evil devil in hell cower in terror. The old man immediately grovelled before him, intensely shivering and shaking with fear.

'Why have you come, Myoga?' said he, 'What is the happy occasion that have grace me with your presence?'

The old man struggled to speak, intelligible muttering arising from his throat. The younger man, look upon him, his feature expressionless, but his eyes filled with hatred and anger. 'Speak now, Myoga, or leave!'

'M...m…m…m'Lord,' the old man sputtered, 'u…ur…your ven..ven..venerable fah...father has been a..ah..ass..assassinated!'

The younger man's impassive face remained unchanged, but in his eyes, a flint of joy flickered, dancing around in ecstasy, forcefully extinguished a few seconds later. He stared at the old man, still shaking and stuttering, inarticulately blabbering on.

'Silence,' cried the young Lord, 'Elaborate.'

'Well, he sailed to Shikon Island…'

'A floating pebble in the middle of the sea, and why did he do so?'

'He was making an offering at the Shikon temple, the one where his father, and your grandfather, the noble Takashi Tadamori,who descended…'

'I do not recall asking you for my linage.'

'...where he was interred. Well, as your reverend father came back, troops hiding in the forest fired upon his ship, and it was set ablaze…'

'And then you fled.'

'Yes m'lord. The other advisors were not as fortunate as I, and, last I saw them, they were captured by the soldiers.'

The young lord looked on thoughtfully and silently. Myoga still cowered in fear, his forehead still plastered on the floor. The younger man slowly made his way to his wall scrolled, staring once more into its depth. Slowly, he began to speak, 'I take it that I am now lord of my father's territory?'

Myoga stammered, 'Well, you see...the thing is, you know...Lord Sesshomaru, 'tis a day of grieving for your for your revered father, and not a day to talk of….'

Sesshomaru glared at Myoga, sending the old man once more into fits of shivering and inaudible muttering. 'Silence, old fool, and get to the point, or I will have you hanged like a petty thief.'

Myoga began to speak slowly, fear resounding within his voice, 'As per clan custom, m'lord, the land is to be spilt betwixt all of the deceased lord's, your late father's, children. Thus, you will inherit Kyushu, while your brother…'

'I have a brother?'

'Yes, 'twas 16 years ago, your father had a mistress named Izayoi. He was very fond of this mistress, though not to the extent that he loved her more then your mother, m'lord, and he got her pregnant. Upon learning of her condition, he was enraged, and he sent her away to some backwater farming village, where, in three month time, she married another man, and several month later gave birth to your brother.'

'So my illegitimate bumpkin half-brother is to inherit Shikoku Island?'

'Indeed m'lord.'

Lord Sesshomaru demeanour remains calm as ever, but deep within his eyes, another fire grows, brighter then the flicker of joy, a fire of unquenchable fury. He made his way to his sword rack, unsheathing a sword. The old man began to tremble once more, screaming, weeping, and asking him for pardon. The young lord stood still, looked upon the old man, and calmly ordered him to leave.

And, as Myoga abruptly came, so did he abruptly leave, scramming away as if the hounds of hell were chasing after him. Lord Sesshomaru resumed staring into the scroll, a painting of a purple moon over two purple stripes on a black background.


End file.
